I’m on a French roll.
Another weekend brunch with the girls, and this time we tried out Parc Cafe and Brasserie. Located near the bustling 17th ave, this not-so-little cafe offers authentic French cuisine and provides an atmosphere much like the ones you find around Europe.
We came on Saturday just before noon and was surprised to see the vast amount of empty seats. Seeing how 90% of the seats were empty, my sister wanted to pull over a chair to put her nursery bag on but was shockingly told off by the waitress to put the chair back. Likewise, the service we received for the remainder of the meal was somewhat appalling.
The one page brunch menu was very simple, yet appealing. However, their non-alcoholic drinks selection was a bit disappointing. I expected much better espresso drinks seeing how it’s a cafe after all. I ordered a mocha, which apparently was an off menu item, and was charged $8.50 (they charged me an espresso shot + a hot chocolate)! The mocha was not enjoyable – really runny and the milk had no texture at all!
We ordered a beef tartare to share as an appetizer. The tartare came in a relatively large portion with generous amounts of crostini’s for us to scoop the meat on. However, the pickled onions were a little overpowering and covered most of the taste to the beef.
For my main, I ordered a simple smoked salmon eggs benedict which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only was the hollandaise sauce zesty and rich, but the egg was poached soft with running yolk! Possibly one of the better benny’s I’ve tasted in a long while. The benny also came with a side of lyonnaise potatoes.
My sister ordered the lacquered pork belly which came with a side of poached and pickled apple. It sounds much better than it tastes, the belly was lean, chewy and fell apart into a hot mess. The pork skin looks so crispy in the photo below, but don’t get deceived… it was just as chewy! No crackling this time!
Cuisine: French
Price range: $20 – 30/person
Recommendations: Eggs Benedict
Location: 818 16 Ave SW Calgary, AB
Website: http://parccalgary.com/
Itch-to-eat (out of 5):
that-itch.com 